Levi Colwill has warned that Chelsea cannot keep depending on their attacking trio to rescue them, calling for a significant step forward defensively after the Blues suffered a 3-0 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Friday night.

The result extended Chelsea's winless run in the Premier League to three matches, leaving them seventh in the table with seven points — five behind leaders Arsenal, who could stretch that gap to eight points with a win over Brighton on Saturday.

Bees sting their west London rivals

Brentford climbed above Chelsea and into third place thanks to goals from Jaidon Anthony, Igor Thiago, and Fabio Carvalho. The victory kept Brentford unbeaten and underlined just how far Chelsea still have to go under manager Xabi Alonso.

Alonso had arrived at Stamford Bridge to considerable excitement, with Chelsea's opening four league fixtures producing a remarkable 19 goals. But the absence of Joao Pedro through a knee injury blunted the Blues' attack, and both Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers were kept quiet by a well-organised Brentford side.

Alonso made four changes to his starting lineup, including handing Jordan Henderson his first Chelsea start — a notable moment given it came against his former club. Despite those adjustments, neither goalkeeper was seriously tested in a flat first half, and Brentford took control in the second period, punishing Chelsea on the counter-attack.

Colwill's honest assessment